Ren flies home to receive neonatal care
Gran Canaria
Glasgow, UK
2,668 miles
Mum-to-be Devon was flying to Lanzarote for a 4-day holiday with her friend when her waters broke on the plane at 26 weeks pregnant. The local hospital did not have the equipment to keep a premature baby alive, so Devon was airlifted to Gran Canaria to give birth. Ren arrived 14 weeks early and was immediately placed in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Devon contacted her insurers about flying her and Ren back to the UK so that Ren could continue to receive neonatal care closer to home. However, the insurers policy was to not move babies until they were at least full-term. For Ren, this would be staying in a foreign hospital for another 3.5 months. This news filled Devon with dread and made an incredibly stressful situation even worse.
There was no accommodation available for Devon at the hospital so she had to stay in a local apartment where she experienced issues with no electric or water at times for days at a time – this was especially difficult for Devon as this is where Devon stored her frozen breast milk for Ren.
To add to the stressful situation, Devon wasn’t able to claim her maternity allowance whilst being abroad and the hospital does not allow extended family or friends to be in the hospital, leaving Devon to deal with the situation alone.
Devon desperately needed help.
A Lia’s Wings Flight Nurse was working for an insurance company collecting a child to bring back to the UK when she first met Devon. Through our Flight Nurse, Devon got in touch with Lia’s Wings and once we heard everything she was going through, we immediately wanted to help.
Whilst Devon was waiting for her air transfer home (funded by her insurer), we supported Devon with practical guidance and emotional support, we spoke to her insurance company on her behalf and made arrangements for her child to be admitted to a hospital close to her family in Scotland.
Although we did not fly Devon and Ren, we are proud to have supported them during an extremely difficult time.
Devon, Ren's mum, says:
"I am so grateful to have found Lia’s Wings and wish I'd have known about them sooner. I instantly felt like I had support and someone there who truly cared and wanted to help me and Ren. From medical advice to a supportive chat, helping with my medical transfer and making me feel less alone and helpless whilst stuck abroad. I will forever be grateful and will always remember that first phone call where you helped give me hope again. Thank you ❤️."
